


Next to you

by dahyunayeon



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Coming Out, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Jealous Dahyun, Light Angst, Mutual Pining, Nayeon/Irene (implied), Two Nerds in Love, five times Chaeyoung comes out and the one time she doesn't have to
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2018-07-29
Packaged: 2019-06-13 20:18:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15372519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dahyunayeon/pseuds/dahyunayeon
Summary: Coming out, unspoken crushes, and a lot of pining.





	1. We'll be alright

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome! I hope you will enjoy the story :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The five times Chaeyoung comes out and the one time she doesn't have to.

** i. **

Chaeyoung gulped as she laid in her bed at 3 am. She knew she should be sleeping, but she couldn't bring her mind to stop going over and over again about her… issue. It had been bugging her for a while now, and she knew she had to tell her friends sooner or later. She thought about all the possible outcomes her situation could have and felt cold sweat forming in her forehead. Chaeyoung started breathing heavily and tugging at the neck of her shirt, she felt like she was drowning and couldn't get air no matter what she did. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to think of good memories, hoping to be back to normal soon. That's when she felt her bed shift.

Chaeyoung opened her eyes to find Tzuyu laying next to her. The younger girl didn't say anything, just hugged Chaeyoung and pulled her close to her chest. Chaeyoung grabbed Tzuyu's shirt and began sobbing against her friend's shoulder.

“I'm so sorry.” Chaeyoung choked out, feeling her throat closing. “I'm really sorry Tzu, I just can't help it.”

For a while Tzuyu didn’t say anything, giving Chaeyoung the time she needed to get the words out. After a while, she heard her friend’s faint words.

“I like girls,” Chaeyoung said barely above a whisper as if saying it quietly would soften the impact and make it less painful for her.

“I know. You have nothing to apologize for.” Tzuyu rocked Chaeyoung back and forth and started humming a song quietly. She didn't want Dahyun to wake up, and would much rather calm Chaeyoung to avoid bothering the rest of the girls. “It's ok Chaeng, I know and it's ok.”

More tears came flooding out of Chaeyoung eyes, but her sobs had become silent. “What- How do you know?” She felt panic rising in her chest again but the taller girl only hugged more tightly.

“Because I know you. I know you've been struggling; I saw the poem you wrote, about feeling like you don’t fit in, about how you wished to feel normal again. It made me really sad to know you feel that way. You're beautiful Chaeyoung, and I love you no matter what, ok? You can always count on me.”

“It doesn't bother you?” She asked tentatively.

“Why would it bother me Chaeng, it's just a part of you, like you being short, or your brown hair.”

Chaeyoung loosened her grip on Tzuyu's shirt and pulled apart a bit to wipe away her tears.

“Thank you, Tzu.”

“Nothing to worry about, unnie.”

Tzuyu stayed with Chaeyoung for the rest of the night, and the shorter girl was able to have a peaceful night in her friend's arms.

 

** ii. **

 

The next morning Chaeyoung woke up feeling a lot lighter than she did a few hours ago. She found Tzuyu still asleep next to her and after thanking the universe once again for her friend, she got out of bed as quietly as she could. Dahyun wasn't in her bed, and Chaeyoung wondered if the other members were already awake. It was their free day so she didn't have to worry about any schedules, and she really appreciated the time to recover after last night’s incident.

She made her way to the bathroom and wasn’t surprised when she looked in the mirror and saw her eyes swollen and red. She brushed her teeth and washed her face with cold water, hoping to hide the redness of her eyes; maybe the members wouldn't even notice. Once she thought her eyes didn't look so bad, she left the bathroom and went towards the kitchen.

She found Jihyo in her pajamas, wearing an apron and cooking some pancakes. Her friend immediately looked her way when she heard the footsteps, and smiled brightly at Chaeyoung ( _too bright for 9 am if you ask her)._

“Good morning, Chaengie. Do you want some pancakes or would you rather like some eggs?” The leader asked her lovingly as Chaeyoung approached her and kissed her cheek as she usually did.

“Morning, unnie. Pancakes are alright, don’t bother with the eggs.” Chaeyoung replied as she took a seat at the kitchen table, and started twiddling her fingers anxiously.

“Hmm, if only Dahyun was more like you. She's in the living room right now, enjoy some eggs with ramen and _milk_.”

Chaeyoung made a face of disgust and looked towards the couch, where her friend sat happily eating her food. “Only Dahyun could have that for breakfast. I’m surprised she didn't ask for pork belly.”

“Oh, she did, but I told her we ate it all last night. I’m not gonna let her get food poisoning, not again.” Jihyo chuckled as she set a plate with pancakes in front of Chaeyoung. “Here sweetie, there's orange juice too if you want some.”

“That's alright unnie, I'll get it myself. Thank you for the food, it looks amazing."

“As always.” Jihyo joked but her laughter died down when she noticed Chaeyoung’s eyes. She looked around to make sure the other members hadn't woken up and Dahyun was still focused on the TV. “What's wrong, Chaeng? Are you hurt? Did anyone do something to you? Do you need me to call the managers? Do you need me to call the police?”

Chaeyoung grabbed Jihyo's hands to stop her from asking more questions, which were getting more and more ridiculous. She doubted a moment before she began speaking. “It's nothing too serious unnie, don't worry. Well, at least I hope it's not…” She appreciated her friend's worry, and the caring and loving look in her eyes gave Chaeyoung everything she needed to go on. “I've been… _wondering,_ about myself lately and I came to the conclusion that I am different. I'm not sure if it's in a bad way or not, but I am. I'm afraid, though. I'm afraid of how you and the members might react, how the managers and the bosses will react, about what will the fans think… but I can't hide it. Not from you girls, at least. I-" She choked up once again and felt tears involuntarily running down her cheeks. In a second, Jihyo was by her side, holding her hands and giving her a soft nod for her to go on. “I like- I like girls.”

She said it quietly, and if they hadn't been alone Jihyo might have missed it. But she heard her. And Chaeyoung felt relief wash over her when Jihyo wrapped her up in her arms and kissed the top of her head. “Oh, sweetie. I love you so much pumpkin. I’m sorry if you ever felt as if you couldn't tell me, please know I am always here for you. I love you so much, thank you for trusting me with this. You have all my support Chaeyoung, until the end of time.”

Chaeyoung couldn't help the sob that left her throat as she closed her eyes tightly and returned Jihyo's hug with all her strength. She gave Jihyo a shaky _thank you_ as the leader wiped away Chaeyoung's tears with her thumb. “Don't be silly love, you have nothing to worry about.” She stared at the younger girl with so much love Chaeyoung felt like she could fight a thousand men and win, all thanks to her friend's support. “And whenever you feel ready, you should tell the girls. I know they won't mind.”

“Thanks, unnie. I know they probably won't react badly but, it's still hard.” Chaeyoung felt a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and she took a huge bite of the pancakes in front of her (turns out crying a lot can make you very hungry). She still felt her stomach was in a knot, but she wouldn't let the breakfast Jihyo made her with so much love go to waste. “I told Tzuyu last night though,” she said with her mouth full, “it went really well.”

“I’m really glad, kid,” Jihyo assured.

Momo walked into the kitchen and when she stuck her head in the fridge looking for her snacks, Jihyo kissed Chaeyoung's cheek and whispered a _let me know if you ever wanna talk._

“Has anyone seen my jokbal?” Momo asked scratching her head, still half asleep.

“You ate it all last night unnie, remember?”

Jihyo gave Chaeyoung a playful wink and the younger girl laughed. Where would they be without their dear Park Jihyo?

 

** iii. **

 

It had been a week since Chaeyoung had told Tzuyu and Jihyo about her secret, and whilst she felt better, she knew she still had to tell the girls. She wanted to, they were her family, after all.

They were currently at the backstage of Music Bank, hanging in their dressing room with the Red Velvet girls who had also performed that night.

“I tell you Chaeyoung-ah, you were on fire.” Yerim complimented her and the younger girl blushed lightly.

“Thank you unnie. You too of course, and you have to teach me that dance from Joohyun unnie's part! It looks hard.”

“At first it is, but I have a few tricks to learn it quicker.” She winked at her and _come on Chaeyoung do something._ She saw Jihyo smirking at her from across the room and drawing a freaking heart with her fingers. A heart!

“Well, maybe next time you visit Nayeon unnie you can teach me.”

“Or I could just visit you,” Chaeyoung's eyes were wide open and her mind went blank. Was Yerim… flirting?

“Yah, Yeri come here for a second please,” Seulgi called from across the room where she was chatting with Sana and Momo. As Yeri excused herself and went towards her bandmate, the Japanese girls gave Chaeyoung funny looks, which made her feel a bit paranoiac. She could feel anxiety building up in her chest, but Tzuyu sat next to her and gave her a bottle of water.

“Everything ok Chaeng?” The older girl gulped half of the bottle down and nodded, taking a breath after swallowing.

“Yeah, thank you, Tzu.” The Taiwanese girl smirked and shoved Chaeyoung with her shoulder.

“Well, you clearly have no game and were about to panic so somebody had to save you, don't you think?”

“Hey, I do have game!” Chaeyoung complained and Tzuyu only chuckled.

“Sure. If you want to learn though, _that’s_ having game.” She pointed to the corner of the room where Irene was giggling at something Nayeon had said, touching her knee any chance she got.

“Yeah right, if you say so.” Chaeyoung glared at Tzuyu who ruffled her hair, earning her a poke in the ribs.

“Hey! What was that for?”

“Respect your elders, dummy.”

After a while, their manager came to get them, since they had to go home and rest for the next day’s schedules. They all started saying their goodbyes and, maybe Chaeyoung was crazy, but Yerim hugged her a bit longer than she did the rest.

They got into their van, where Nayeon, Dahyun, and Mina took the first row of seats and fell asleep as soon as they sat down. Jihyo, Jeongyeon, and Tzuyu took the middle row, leaving Chaeyoung on the last row with Sana and Momo. She ended in between the two girls, who were the only ones still with energy after the show.

Chaeyoung watched the city through the window as they drove to the dorm, and she was about to fall asleep when Momo poked her shoulder.

“Hey Chaeng, what was up with Yerim today huh?” She asked with a smirk and Sana squealed next to her.

“Is our little Chaengie trying to get a date?” Sana teased but stopped when she saw the color drain from Chaeyoung's face, who was looking around making sure everyone else was either asleep or wearing headphones.

“I don't know what you’re talking about.” Chaeyoung quickly denied as she tried to even her breathing.

“I'm sorry Chaeng, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable,” Momo sincerely apologized, “Sana and I were just curious that’s all.”

“Yeah, besides" Sana began, “we were kinda hoping you _were_ trying to get a date with her. Although it looked more like she was the one trying to get a date,” The Japanese girls laughed and held Chaeyoung's hands, “You'd be a cute couple.”

Chaeyoung remained silent, and the girls didn't talk for the rest of the ride either.

Once they reached the dorm, Jeongyeon and Nayeon hurried to call dibs on the bathroom and Dahyun and Tzuyu went straight to the room to nap before dinner. Jihyo headed into the kitchen to cook for her members and Mina offered to help her; leaving Chaeyoung alone in the living room with Sana and Momo. They were about to go to their rooms as well, but the younger girl stopped them.

“Unnies?” Chaeyoung asked timidly.

“Yes, Chaengie?” They both asked in unison.

Chaeyoung took a deep breath and looked them in the eye. “I do like girls. I'm- I'm gay.”

“Aw, you're so cute.” Momo cooed as she pinched her cheeks. She left a kiss on her temple and continued, “We kind of knew, and we support you of course.”

Sana hugged her from behind and kissed her cheek. “She's right kid. If anyone is ever mean to you, we're kicking their ass. I love you, don't forget that.”

“But don't forget I love you more” Momo teased and Chaeyoung laughed. This was getting easier each time and she felt a lot better with herself.

“Thank you, girls, but what do you mean you kinda knew?”

“I don’t know, you have the vibe.” Sana simply shrugged as if that explained everything.

“What vibe?”

“You have a lot of flannels, you started liking Tegan and Sara out of nowhere, and developed a weird interest in cats; you know, the usual.” Momo couldn't help but laugh when Chaeyoung pouted and pointed a finger at her.

“That's such a stereotype!”

“Are we wrong though?”

Chaeyoung accepted they were a _little_ bit right and giggled with her friends, who stuck by her side for the rest of the night until they all went to sleep. The younger girl was almost asleep when she heard her phone buzzing, and smiled after reading the text she got.

**_From: Sana (the prettiest unnie)_ **

_Contact: Kim Yerim_

_Number: xxx-xxxx-xxx_

_We were very serious. Sweet dreams!_

** iv ** **.**

Chaeyoung and Jeongyeon are super smart. So smart, they went to the convenience store despite Mina's warning of the nearing storm.

_“Jeong, you're not gonna die if you don't eat those stupid chips for one night.”_

_“I need them! And Chaeyoung needs pads anyway so we're going"_

_“Unnie! Shut up!”_

So here they are now, with runny noses and sore throats, and a smug Mina taking care of them because she's just that nice. (Nice enough to say _I told you so_ any chance she gets; and Chaeyoung doesn't mind it but if Jeongyeon keeps rolling her eyes they might get stuck.)

As Mina took Chaeyoung's temperature she tried getting Jeongyeon to eat her soup.

“I don’t care if it tastes horrible! Sana made it for you with a lot of love so you're gonna drink it all.”

“But it has chunks of-"

“No buts, now chug.”

“How come you're so nice to Chaeyoung huh? If I remember correctly she was out in the rain with me.” Jeongyeon complained as she closed her nose with her fingers and drank the soup.

“Because she's a kid, and _you_ made her go to the store with you, so it's kind of your fault.”

“That's not true, Chaeyoung please tell Mina you wanted to come with me.”

Chaeyoung fake coughed and looked at Mina, “You're right Mina unnie! Jeongyeon made me go with her, she gave me no choice! She-" Jeongyeon threw a cushion at the younger girl, who giggled and stuck her tongue out at her friend when Mina scolded her.

“Stop bothering the kid, she's sick.”

“And what about me?!” The older girl was pissed and kept pouting, which only made Chaeyoung mock her more.

“What about you?” Mina faked seriousness and winked at Chaeyoung who giggled loudly before having a cough attack.

“Yah, Mina stop that! And haha that's what you get loser- Hey stop I could have dropped my soup!” Chaeyoung had thrown the cushion back and it hit Jeongyeon straight in the face.

“Stop fighting kids,” Mina said and turned on the TV, ignoring Jeongyeon's complains of _I'm older than you! Respect your elders!_

Eventually, they settled down and focused on the drama playing on the TV. Chaeyoung didn't know what it was about, but the female lead quickly caught her attention. She watched quietly as her friends talked about how handsome the male lead was, and Chaeyoung felt a bit bad since she couldn't relate at all. _What's so handsome about a stupid beard?_

“What about you Chaeng, do you like the bad boy or the nerdy guy more?” Mina asked teasingly, and Chaeyoung contemplated her options. She could lie and pick whichever, she didn't really care; or she could take this opportunity to subtly let her friends know about her sexuality.

“I don’t know but I really like the girl, she's super attractive.”

Subtly. Great.

She turned her head and saw her friends looking at her with neutral expressions. Jeongyeon looked at the TV for a moment and said: “Yeah, you have a point you know?” And shrugged it off like that. Not Mina though, not sweet, attentive Mina. She placed a hand and Chaeyoung’s knee and turned the volume down, and Jeongyeon was about to complain when she felt the shift in the mood to a more serious one.

“Is there anything you want to tell us Chaengie?” She asked softly with a reassuring smile that immediately made Chaeyoung feel safe. She looked at Jeongyeon, who looked at her with a smile and promoted her to speak with a nod.

“Yeah I- um,” she was nervous and stuttered a bit but Mina squeezed her knee and Chaeyoung let it out. “I'm gay.”

She was expecting an awkward silence, but instead, the older girl replied right away. “Cool. Good for you bro, guys are kind of gross anyway.” And continued to watch the drama.

“Thanks?” She looked at Mina, who was glaring at Jeongyeon, but whose eyes softened when she looked at the younger girl.

“Thank you for sharing this with us Chaeyoung, I'm proud of you. Does anyone else know?”

“All the members except Nayeon unnie and Dahyun unnie, but I'm planning on telling them soon.”

“Hmm, I see.” Mina looked at her mischievously and asked, “So, Kim Yerim?”

“Oh god no! Did Sana and Momo tell you?”

“Not a word, but I saw you together the other day. The girl is definitely interested, and you'd be a nice match.”

“Yeah bro you should go for it,” Jeongyeon commented still focusing on the show. “She's nice.”

“She is, but I don’t like her like that.” Chaeyoung was telling the truth, she did have the tiniest bit of interest towards the blonde, but she wasn't looking to date anyone yet.

“Well, if you ever do, let me know so I can give you some flirting classes because girl you are lacking a lot.”

This time when the cushion hit her face, Jeongyeon did drop her soup.

 

** v. **

 

Chaeyoung had been waiting for this chance. All the girls had gone to sleep after a long day of schedules, and she saw it as her opportunity to finally watch that movie she had heard so much about. She was in the living room, sitting on the couch with her laptop on her lap and all the lights turned off. If Jihyo found her she would definitely scold her, but the leader had knocked off as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Chaeyoung plugged her earphones on and hit the link for the movie. _The Handmaiden._ It was widely acclaimed and after watching the trailer, Chaeyoung was quite excited about it. She was paying attention to the movie, captivated by the story. When the first sex scene began, Chaeyoung felt a little shy even though she was alone. She didn't look away though, and she could feel her cheeks heating up as the scene progressed.

She was so into the movie, she didn't hear when Nayeon woke up, nor did she notice her friend standing behind her. Chaeyoung almost dropped her computer when Nayeon touched her shoulder, and she wanted nothing more than for the earth to swallow her whole.

“I can explain.” She whispered loudly as she panicked and Nayeon stared at her with a puzzled look.

“No need to explain. I've heard it's a good movie,” Nayeon squinted her eyes at her and thought about whether to ask her what was on her mind or not. But being the nosy girl she is, Nayeon asked anyway. “Why do you seem so flustered though? Anything you wanna share?”

“O-of course I'm flustered! You just caught me watching a-" Chaeyoung stuttered and looked around to make sure no one else was awake, “a _sex scene._ ”

“Boo hoo, big deal. You're 19 Chaeyoung, I'm not gonna tell on you or anything. I am curious about your, um, choice though.” Nayeon said as she sat down on the couch and patted the space next to her. Chaeyoung sat with her and took a deep breath; she wasn't sure where to begin.

“I never relate to the dramas you watch, you know? It's always the girl fawning over the guy and the guy winning the girl by doing some big romantic gesture. When they kiss you all go crazy and I just… don't get it. When I saw Sookhee and Lady Hideko kissing though… I kinda get why you watch those dramas so much.” She smiled at Nayeon softly, and the older girl returned her smile as she put her arm around Chaeyoung's shoulders.

“That's alright kid. Does that mean you... like girls then?”

“Yup.” Chaeyoung said popping the ‘p' and Nayeon hugged her friend.

“Be proud Chaeng, it's just part of who you are. Ah, my child, you’re so grown up,” Before Chaeyoung could thank Nayeon, the older girl started teasing her. “Although maybe we should have a conversation about what kind of movie’s you're watching. I have a few sites you can try but you need to learn to clean your browser history.”

“Oh god, unnie! Stop that! I didn't- I don't,” Chaeyoung started stuttering and felt her face warm up.

“Chill, ain't nothing wrong with a little p-” Chaeyoung covered Nayeon's mouth with her hand before she could say anything else.

“Thanks, I got it, but that's not why I'm watching this movie ok? It's much more than just that.”

“If you say so… well, I was only looking for a late night snack, not giving you an impromptu sex talk. But we can have it some other day, I know you might be curious.” Nayeon said as she got up and walked towards the kitchen.

“What do you know about lesbians, anyway?”

Chaeyoung snorted thinking her friend was being silly, but Nayeon only smirked and replied “Oh honey, I know a whole lot of things, and apparently you don't know me as well as you thought. But that's for another day, now finish your movie before Jihyo finds you and grounds you.” And just like that, she left Chaeyoung alone again, with her mouth open and a lot of questions. She would definitely interrogate Nayeon the next chance she got.

 

** 1. **

 

A few days had passed since Chaeyoung started coming out to the members, and the only one she hadn’t told yet was Dahyun. If she was being honest, Chaeyoung felt extremely nervous about telling the older girl. She was terrified of losing her best friend, and she didn’t know how Dahyun would react, so she was delaying having to tell her.

The older members were at the studio having vocal lessons, and only the maknaes stayed in the dorm with the afternoon off. Dahyun had been weirdly quiet the past few days, so Chaeyoung decided to take her out to the park, as Dahyun loved nature and it would hopefully cheer her up. They sat in a bench near a fountain, and Dahyun hummed a song while Chaeyoung drew her on her sketchbook.

“You’re so talented Chaeng, I wish I could draw like you.” Dahyun sighed as she stole glances at the little book on her friend’s lap.

“Don’t look yet, I’m not done. And don’t be silly Dahyun-ah, you’re talented too. You know I could spend hours listening to you playing the piano and singing. It’s one of my favorite things to do, actually,” Chaeyoung assured her friend, still looking at her sketch.

“I’m not that good,” Dahyun’s voice cracked and Chaeyoung immediately looked up worriedly. The older girl refused to look at her as she struggled to keep the tears from falling. Chaeyoung held her hands but Dahyun only pushed her away, hugging herself and Chaeyoung thought her friend had never looked so little.

“Dahyun-ah, what’s wrong? What happened?” You can tell me,” Chaeyoung really hated seeing her friend like this, and she was ready to kill whoever hurt her.

“You won’t like me anymore.” Dahyun sobbed and Chaeyoung would slap her if she wasn’t crying right now.

“How can you say that? Dahyun you’re my best friend! You know I love you, and every single aspect of you.” When Dahyun didn’t reply and kept crying, Chaeyoung went on, “I love you despite your super weird breakfast choices, I love you even if you listen to country music every once in a while, I love you even when you go out dressed like my grandpa. We’re _best_ friends! I would help you hide a body if you asked me to.”

Dahyun was looking at her with such sadness Chaeyoung felt her heart breaking. Then Dahyun couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“I think I like girls, Chaeyoung.” She looked away, afraid of her friend’s reaction. Dahyun was very confused when Chaeyoung wrapped her up in a hug and started giggling loudly.

“Oh my god, you have to be kidding Dahyun! Me too!” Chaeyoung threw her head back and laughed almost hysterically, “Me freaking too!”

“W-what do you mean you too?” Dahyun was shocked and didn’t know how to react, was Chaeyoung making fun of her?

“I’m gay too Dahyun-ah! This is amazing oh my god I have to tell Tzuyu!”

“Don’t! Don’t even think about it, you’re the only one I’ve told and I feel like throwing up- wait, what do you mean you want to tell Tzuyu? She knows about you?”

“Yeah, about that,” Chaeyoung scratched her neck and smiled at her friend apologetically, “Everyone knows. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier, I was worried about losing you. But I’m glad you know now, and I’m happy you told me about you as well.” Dahyun didn’t look upset, but she had a blank look on her face as she thought about something.

“So what you’re telling me is… All the girls know?”

“Yeah.”

“And they’re ok with it?”

“Yes, all of them. Everyone has been super supportive. Sana and Momo are even trying to get me a date.” Dahyun stayed quiet for a few more minutes, and then she let out a loud huff. “Well, that’s a relief.” She chuckled and Chaeyoung hugged her tightly. “Ah, Chaengie I can’t breath.”

“I love you, idiot. I’m happy you told me, and I’m happy I’m not alone in this!”

“You’ve never been alone silly, and you never will be, I promise.” Dahyun returned the hug and cried a bit more, but this time they were relieved tears. “I love you.”

“I’m so glad we’re friends,” Chaeyoung mumbled against Dahyun’s shoulder and wiped her friend’s tears when they pulled apart. “So, are you gonna tell the girls?”

“I will, but I’m not sure when.” She said with a sigh and a nervous smile. “Man this whole coming out thing is nerve-wracking.”

“And draining, I know,” Chaeyoung giggled and stood up holding Dahyun’s hand. “Come on now, I’ll buy you an ice cream.”

“Not that I’m complaining, but why?”

“Because you need some sugar, and because I’m proud of you and think you deserve something sweet.”

“Hmm, sounds fair. Thank you Chaengie.” Dahyun said softly as they began walking towards the ice cream shop with their arms linked.

“No need to thank me silly. You’re the Dub to my Chaeng! How could I ever live without you?” Chaeyoung acted all dramatic and Dahyun giggled.

“Shut up. Also, I’m letting you know I’m getting a banana, caramel swirl and eggnog ice cream.”

“Eggnog?! Have you lost your damn mind?!” Chaeyoung was horrified, to say the least, “What’s wrong with you?!”

“Hey, you said you loved me as I am!”

“I do but, don’t you think eggnog is too much?”

“It’s never enough eggnog ice cream.”

And Chaeyoung bought her the flavors she wanted of course. How could she deny the girl when she looked so happy with her monstrous dessert? After all, all Chaeyoung wanted was for her friend to be happy. She knew it was going to be hard, but Chaeyoung was always going to be next to Dahyun, and vice-versa. Chaeyoung ate a spoonful of her strawberry ice cream and smiled because she knew that as long as they’re together, they’re going to be alright.

 


	2. Are we alright?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chaeyoung and Dahyun find themselves ignoring their feelings because everybody knows it's way easier than confronting them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, welcome back :) I said I would add an epilogue but it turned out to be more of a second part and I have a third one coming lol, enjoy!

A few weeks had passed since Dahyun had come out to Chaeyoung, and she still hadn’t told the other members. She didn’t feel ready, and Chaeyoung understood and assured her friend she should take all the time she needed.

If before they were inseparable, now there wasn’t a moment where they were seen apart. Chaeyoung had introduced Dahyun to a bunch of lesbian movies, books, and songs, and while the older girl had been a bit overwhelmed at first, she was thoroughly enjoying them.

_“Wow, that was so beautiful.” Dahyun sniffed as she wiped her tears with a tissue._

_“I can’t believe you’re crying watching D.E.B.S. It’s a comedy, Dahyun.” Chaeyoung laughed at her friend who was still crying beside her. “But Lucy Diamond dropped her life of crime for Amy! That’s so romantic.”_

And while Dahyun hadn’t come out yet, she was starting to show certain… behaviors that were usually shown by Chaeyoung and the members were starting to catch up. Like that time were Chaeyoung was playing Girl by The Internet and Dahyun knew every lyric, or even when she quoted an ‘Imagine me and you’ line. Everyone gave her funny looks and Chaeyoung had to save her ass by claiming she was influencing the older girl too much.

_“Dude, you have to be more careful if you don’t want them to find out!”_

_“But they asked me about the lily, Chaeyoung! I couldn’t let it slide.”_

And so after a bunch of incidents like those, thinking she had nothing to lose, Dahyun decided she would tell the girls over dinner. So now there she sat, sweaty hands gripping her chopsticks and heart beating fast.

“That’s the best bulgogi I’ve had in a while,” Jihyo said rubbing her stomach.

“Baby I’m full,” Sana sang and everyone laughed at the joke and began to argue about which Odd Eye Circle song was better, but Dahyun had to speak now or she would faint.

“I have something to say.” Everyone stopped talking and looked at Dahyun, who was paler than usual and shaking slightly. Chaeyoung, who was sitting next to her, held her hand and squeezed it trying to let her friend know it was ok. Dahyun opened her mouth but the words wouldn’t come out, stuck in her throat.

“Whatever it is, you can tell us,” Nayeon assured from across the table, and the rest quickly nodded in agreement.

“I like girls. I’m-” She felt the first tears start to fall and looked around the table, where she only found supportive smiles and encouraging eyes. “I’m gay.”

Jihyo was the first one to get up and give her a bone-crushing hug. She kissed her temple and whispered a soft _I’m proud of you kiddo._ The other girls quickly followed, with Nayeon telling her she would give her the talk along with Chaeyoung (who had managed to avoid having to listen to the older girl talk about sex) and Momo asking when the Seoul pride parade was. Everyone made sure to let Dahyun know how much they love her and how proud they were, and the girl was a crying mess by the end of the night.

“Thank guys, I really do love you with my whole heart.” Dahyun sniffed as she hugged Sana.

“You have nothing to thank us for Dahyun-ah,” The Japanese girl told her, “Same goes to you, Chaengie. We all love you and we will protect you no matter what, got it?” The girls nodded, very thankful towards her friends. “And if you ever think about getting girlfriends, we have to approve them first. Can’t have some punks dating our babies.”

“Maybe you should date each other.” Tzuyu teased and everyone laughed, except for Dahyun who smiled awkwardly and Chaeyoung who blushed bright red and avoided looking Dahyun in the eyes.

“Don’t be silly Tzu,” Mina said noticing how the girls in question were slightly uncomfortable and tried to get everyone’s attention on something else. “Who wants ice cream?”

“Oh, oh, me! I call dibs on the strawberry one!” Chaeyoung rushed to the kitchen and everyone followed behind, except Mina who held Dahyun’s wrist to make her wait.

“So, Chaeyoung?” Mina smirked and wiggled her eyebrows.

“Don’t say a word,” Dahyun mumbled and tried to hide her blush behind her hair.

“Hmm, I’ll be watching you.” She teased the younger girl and left before the ice cream ran out.

Dahyun waited a moment so her cheeks would be back to normal, and walked into the kitchen to find Jeongyeon and Nayeon fighting for the last chocolate popsicle.

“You ate half the box! I only ate one, I deserve this!” Jeongyeon complained as she ripped the package open despite Nayeon trying to snatch it from her.

“I only ate four! And it doesn’t matter, you know I don’t like mint ice cream, let me have this one.” Nayeon demanded and quickly whined when Jeongyeon licked the ice cream.

“Oops, guess you can’t have it now,” Jeongyeon let her guard down to act smug and Nayeon took the dessert from her hands.

“You’re naïve to think that will stop me,” Nayeon said with a smirk as she took a bite and ran away from the kitchen, with Jeongyeon following her yelling threats.

“Another quiet night at the Twice household,” Tzuyu commented unbothered from her place on the table, and Chaeyoung walked towards Dahyun who was still standing at the doorway.

“I saved this for you,” She handed the older girl a banana popsicle, which Dahyun accepted gratefully. “Eat it before it melts.”

“S-sure, thank you Chaengie,” Dahyun smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear, but quickly used it to cover her face again when she saw Mina smirking behind Chaeyoung. “I’ll eat this in my room if you don’t mind. I’m quite tired, to be honest.”

“Of course kid, go ahead,” Jihyo winked at her and Dahyun was about to leave when she remembered something.

“Oh, Chaeng, I found a link for that movie we wanted to watch, the one with Rachel McAdams, come with me?”

“Yeah, of course, let me brush my teeth and I’ll be right there.”

“I’ll set it up!” Dahyun said as she made her way to the maknae room and Chaeyoung avoided her wrestling friends on her way to the bathroom, not bothering to tell them the ice cream had already melted.

“Ah, young love,” Mina sighed dreamily and Jihyo giggled, but Sana and Momo looked at her seriously and shook their heads.

“You’re wrong, if anyone here is in love it’s Chaeyoung and Yerim,” Momo claimed, and Sana nodded beside her.

“Kim Yerim? Are you crazy?” Jihyo laughed at the older girls who looked slightly pissed.

“No, Choi Yerim. Yes, of course, we are talking about Kim Yerim,” Sana deadpanned. “We know for a fact they’ve been texting lately.”

“Yeah, well, I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Tzuyu said teasing her unnies, “Chaeyoung sure has a lot of unread texts on her phone. I kinda feel bad for Yerim because Chaeyoung is such a shit texter…”

“Or maybe she’s just not interested.” Mina offered and Tzuyu agreed, which made Sana and Momo walk out of the kitchen stomping their feet and mumbling something about _ungrateful kids._

“She really doesn’t text Yerim back?” Jihyo asked curiously.

“Sometimes her phone buzzes for minutes and she just ignores it. Too busy with Dahyun, I guess.” Tzuyu said smirking and Jihyo squealed.

“My babies! All grown up and in love, I can’t believe it.” She wiped away her non-existent tears and Mina laughed.

Chaeyoung, who had been listening from the hallway, couldn’t help but face-palm. She had to start putting her phone on mute.

 

…

 

A few weeks after Dahyun came out, things had stayed the same, with the exception of Dahyun and Chaeyoung's growing crushes on each other, which both of them refused to acknowledge. That didn't stop them from acting like a real couple sometimes though, like when they went to the park and Chaeyoung picked flowers for Dahyun, when Dahyun gave Chaeyoung her jacket when it was cold, or right now, when they were in Dahyun's bed cuddling, Chaeyoung slightly on top of Dahyun nuzzling her face in the older girl's neck, whose arms were around Chaeyoung's waist.

Chaeyoung let out a content sigh and snuggled closer to Dahyun when she heard mumbling outside of the room.

“I’m telling you, unnies, you have to see this.” _Was that Tzuyu?_

“Ok, let’s go but be quiet.”

“What?”

“I said be quiet, Jeong.”

“I can’t hear you, Mina.”

“She said we have to be quiet.”

“Shh Jihyo, lower your voice! You’re too loud.”

“But I’m whispering.”

Then the door opened, and Chaeyoung pretended to be asleep when she heard her friends walk into the room.

“Oh my god they're so sweet I think my sugar just peaked through the roof,” Jihyo whispered and Chaeyoung heard a quiet _shut up nerd_ which she guessed was from Jeongyeon. “It's almost a pity to wake them up.”

“Not for me it's not, move,” Nayeon said pushing the others out of her way.

“Wait! Tzuyu take the picture,” Chaeyoung felt the flash on her and apparently Dahyun did too because she stirred awake trying to cover her face.

“Chaeyoungie?” Dahyun asked rubbing her eyes, reaching blindly to pull Chaeyoung closer, which caused everyone to squeal loudly and Chaeyoung to blush deeply. She sat up quickly and accidentally pushed Dahyun stomach making the girl double over and groan. “Ow, what was that for babe?”

“Babe?!” Sana screamed loudly and everyone giggled excitedly.

“I'm sorry, Dahyunnie,” Chaeyoung apologized rubbing Dahyun's stomach, “What are you all doing here?” She said turning her attention to her friends.

“We have to work, in case you forgot.” Nayeon looked at them suspiciously which made Chaeyoung uncomfortable.

“So you all came to wake us up?”

“Tzuyu said we had to see you two, and she was right! Look at this picture, I want it framed,” Sana squealed showing them the photo.

“I thought you wanted me to date Yerim?” Chaeyoung asked to try and hide her blush, avoiding eye contact with Dahyun.

“No, Dahyun is the superior Kim now,” Momo added and Chaeyoung couldn’t believe how silly her friends were.

“You wanted her to date Yerim?” Dahyun asked, suddenly very awake.

“At first we did, cause they’re cute together-” Sana stopped as Mina elbowed her, and cleared her throat before continuing, “ _were_ cute together. But Chaeyoung’s heart belongs to another-”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Chaeyoung said getting up and trying to get everyone out of her room.

“But seriously, we need to get going,” Jihyo warned and Dahyun got out of bed quickly. Chaeyoung swore her soul left her body when she saw the girl wearing only an oversized t-shirt and boy-shorts. Chaeyoung didn't mind it as the girl had always slept like this, but she would much rather not have all their friends find them in this situation.

“What the fuck?” Nayeon asked with a huge grin on her face, “You sneaky lesbians! You've been sleeping together?”

“While I was in the room?!” Tzuyu added horrified.

“We're not doing anything!”

“We were just sleeping!”

“We're not even dating!” They both shouted the last part together and their friends burst out laughing.

“Oh my, we're seriously gonna need to have a talk,” Nayeon said patting both of the blushing girls' shoulders. “Now come on up, you can keep ignoring your feelings later.”

“Thanks, Nayeon” Chaeyoung grumbled annoyed and even pushed the girl on her way out, clearly embarrassed. Dahyun gulped as she put on some pants, looking at Jihyo with wide eyes.

“I swear we weren't doing anything, unnie.”

“I know, kid, we're just messing with you,” Jihyo rushed everyone out of the room and closed the door, looking at her friend in the eyes, “But seriously Dahyun, what’s going on with you two?”

“Nothing, absolutely nothing is going on,” Dahyun gulped as she put on her shoes and avoided looking at Jihyo.

“You’re not a very good liar,” Jihyo didn’t mean to pry, but she was concerned about her friends.

“I just-” Dahyun looked down and shook her head, “I don’t know, ok? But please stop asking.”

“I’m just looking out for you kiddo, but I promise I won’t annoy you anymore.”

Dahyun huffed, the last thing she needed was everyone making things even messier.

 

…

 

“Are you mad? Chaeyoung-ah, are you mad?” Nayeon kept poking Chaeyoung’s arm like she had been doing for the past half hour as they drove to the photoshoot place, getting no reply no matter how much she insisted. “You can’t seriously be mad.”

“Watch me,” Chaeyoung mumbled looking out the window, with her arms crossed and a slight pout.

“Oh come on, it was just a little joke.”

“Well, I’ve told you I don’t like your dumb jokes,” Chaeyoung glanced towards Dahyun to make sure the girl wasn’t listening, “You only make things more complicated than they should be. Dahyun and I are both new to this whole liking girls thing, and it’s already awkward as it is, so I’d appreciate it if you could mind your own damn business and let us sort this out.” Chaeyoung huffed after snapping at Nayeon, who looked at her wide-eyed and ready to scold her. “I’m sorry unnie, I didn’t mean to be rude.”

“I’ll let this one slide, only if you forgive me.”

“Fine, I know you meant well but seriously, please stop with the jokes.”

“I was serious though, about the talk.” Nayeon wiggled her eyebrows and Chaeyoung snorted.

“Please, what do _you_ know about girls?” Nayeon shoved her phone on Chaeyoung’s face, who grabbed it and looked at it closely with eyes wide as the moon.

 

**_Joohyunnie [12:36]:_ ** _I had a lot of fun Nayeonnie, thank you for the lovely evening._

**_Joohyunnie [12:36]:_ ** _We should do it again._

**_Nayeon [12:38]:_ ** _Sure sweetheart, anytime you want._

_Just make sure Yerim doesn’t show up unexpectedly again,_

_we don’t want to traumatize the kid._

**_Joohyunnie [12:40]:_ ** _Don’t worry about it, won’t happen again love._

“Yeah, there’s no way I’m believing this.” Chaeyoung gave Nayeon her phone back as she shook her head. “No fucking way.”

“Watch your mouth, and ask Yerim if you don’t believe me; although I don’t think she’ll want to remember those particular events.”

“Ok, no, this is insane. Since when do you like girls? Why didn’t you tell me?” A part of Chaeyoung believed Nayeon, the other part wanted to slap the girl for saying such nonsense.

“I don’t know, I have for a while. Only Jihyo and Jeongyeon know, I thought I’d tell you guys if I ever found a girlfriend.” She shrugged it off like it was nothing, and Chaeyoung was jealous of how carefree Nayeon was sometimes.

“And Joohyun unnie?” Chaeyoung asked tentatively, still doubting her friend a little bit.

“Just a special friend,” Nayeon said with a smug grin.

“Yeah, I bet she’s very special.”

“Yes, not like what you have with Dahyun.”

“Unnie, please, I told you-”

“I know, I know, but I’m being serious here. I’m gonna kick your asses if you don’t get together.”

“We don’t-”

“No excuses, she’s your best friend and knows you more than anyone, and vice-versa, and I’m like 200% sure you two love each other in a more-than-friends way. There’s nothing stopping you, so don’t wait anymore and make your move.” Nayeon said with finality as they arrived at destiny and got off the car before Chaeyoung could argue with her.

 

…

 

“You gotta stop sulking Dahyun-ah,” Sana told the girl who was currently tearing a piece of paper apart. They were waiting for their turn at the photoshoot, and Sana couldn’t help but notice how Dahyun was in a terrible mood.

“I’m not sulking.” She replied coldly, clenching her fists.

“Hey, stop that,” Sana said and grabbed her hand trying to get her to relax. “Tell me what’s wrong, please? You can trust me.”

Dahyun looked up at her with teary eyes and Sana felt tears of her own forming. “I don’t think she likes me back Sana unnie. I like her, so much. I love spending time with her, love her lame jokes, her art, the way she always stokes my hair when we cuddle... But I don’t think she feels the same way.” She said in a choked up voice and Sana hurried to stop her friend's tears.

“Dahyun-ah, you’re crazy. How can you say Chaeyoung doesn’t like you? She’s head over heels for you.” Sana said comfortingly but Dahyun only shook her head quickly.

“She always gets so upset whenever you guys mention us being together. Why else would she react like that?” Dahyun took a deep breath and tried to calm down, not wanting to ruin her make up.

“She gets nervous Dahyun, haven’t you seen her blush? If she looks mad it’s because she doesn’t want us meddling in your business, and Nayeon can make pretty dumb jokes sometimes. I’m sure she likes you a lot, you should talk to her about it.”

“I’ll try but I don’t think I can do it.”

“Don’t be silly! I promise she returns your feelings, I see the way you two get lost in your own little world whenever you’re together.”

“If you say so…” The director called Sana and informed Dahyun she was next, so she quickly went to the bathroom to check her make up.

It was decent enough, and she decided she would forget about the whole issue to focus on the shoot. However, on her way out she saw Chaeyoung calling someone, and as she got closer she felt her heart breaking a little bit.

“I don’t know, Yeri, I have my schedule packed lately… Yeah, I guess I could try but I can’t promise anything… I’ll let you know alright? See you.” When Chaeyoung hung up, Dahyun stood there in silence, looking at her feet. “Dahyun, I-”

“You don’t need to explain anything. I hope you can hang out with her. Have fun or whatever.” She mumbled the last part as she rushed past the girl without giving her a chance to explain herself.

The photoshoot turned out fine, and she managed to avoid Chaeyoung for the rest of the day. She didn’t sit next to Chaeyoung at dinner like she used to do (if the girls noticed, they didn’t mention it), she didn’t kiss her cheek goodnight, and slept in her own bunk for the first time that week. It felt cold, after growing so accustomed to the other girl’s warmth. _That’s what I get for catching feelings._

In the bunk above, Chaeyoung was hugging her pillow tightly as she tried really hard not to cry. _It still smells like her._

And in the bed next to theirs, Tzuyu sighed and turned around. _What a bunch of idiots._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Please look forward to the third update which will probably be the last one (but I'm not sure yet) and don't forget to leave a comment if you liked it :D


	3. We are alright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Memories, helpful friends and confessions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back everyone, I hope you like the update :)

“Dahyun, please, I know we don’t have schedules today but that doesn’t mean you can stay in bed all day,” Jihyo said worriedly as she sat on the edge of Dahyun’s bed, who was engulfed in a mess of covers with only her eyes peeking out.

“Yes, it does,” Dahyun had been sulking for days, refusing to talk to Chaeyoung despite her friends’ insistence and Chaeyoung’s own attempts at talking with the older girl. Dahyun knew she was being immature, that she should just talk with the girl and sort things out; but talking about her feelings was scary, and confronting Chaeyoung meant she would probably confirm Dahyun’s fears and she would get her heart broken.

“For the twentieth time, Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Yerim aren’t dating.” Jihyo insisted, growing more and more impatient with her friend.

“Then why did she leave so early today only too meet up with Yeri.”

“Cause they’re friends, Dahyun. You need to get it through your thick skull, and while you’re at it also try to understand that Chaeyoung likes _you_.” The older girl was tired of her two friends ignoring each other, and since it was affecting the group’s dynamic, Jihyo had to do something about it. “She’s tried talking to you and you ignored her. You can’t keep this up forever.” She left the room without saying anything else, and Dahyun was left alone with her thoughts once again.

She tried to take a nap, as she had been doing lately to avoid her thoughts from getting too negative, but she couldn’t fall asleep. She just laid there with her eyes closed, and one of her favorite moments with Chaeyoung came to her mind.

_It was the night before they began filming sixteen. They had sneaked out of the dorm to go to the little food market a few blocks away and they were currently walking hand in hand, giggling with masks covering their faces._

_“Manager oppa is gonna be so mad if he finds out.”_

_“Don’t worry, Somi said she’d cover us. Let’s enjoy our last night, alright?” Chaeyoung assured her friend and squeezed her hand._

_“You’re so melancholic, Chaengie,” Dahyun giggled as Chaeyoung led them inside the little shop. She ordered for the both of them (Dahyun was a bit surprised Chaeyoung remembered what she likes) and smiled at her friend._

_“But it kind of is, after tonight we’ll be rivals and nothing will be the same.”_

_“Nonsense,” Dahyun shook her head and, once they got their food, sat down on the sidewalk, “We’ll always be friends no matter what. Even if one of us debuts and the other doesn’t, I’ll always want to have you around.”_

_Chaeyoung flashed her a huge grin that showed her dimple (the one Dahyun loved so much, for some reason), and rested her head on Dahyun’s shoulder. “You’re right. I can’t imagine being without you by my side. Debuting wouldn’t be as fun if you’re not with me.”_

_“I’m pretty sure you’d enjoy it nonetheless,” Dahyun chuckled with a mouthful of food and Chaeyoung wiped a bit of sauce from the corner of her mouth with her thumb, making Dahyun blush. “But it’s true, I’d feel sad if I were to debut without you.”_

_“Good thing that’s not gonna happen, because we’re gonna show them all how it’s done. JYP is gonna be so impressed he’s gonna ask us for our autographs.”_

_“Damn right,” Dahyun chuckled and they did their special handshake, “Let’s debut together Chaengie.”_

_“I’d love that, but I’d rather say let’s be together forever. Whatever happens, if you’re with me it will be ok.” Chaeyoung said suddenly feeling emotional, her chest tight with love for her friend and something else she couldn’t quite pinpoint._

_“I promise I’ll always be by your side. Hopefully, it will be on a stage.”_

_“You can bet on that Kim Dahyun, it’ll always be you and me, dropping mad bars in front of millions of fans,” Dahyun laughed at her friend’s silliness when she put on her hood and did what Dahyun guessed was an Eminem impression._

_“Always,” They pinky promised (at Dahyun’s insistence since Chaeyoung thought it was silly, but she was never good at denying the older girl) and anyone looking at them would have doubted their relationship as they looked at each other with a special glint in their eyes._

_Their moment was cut short when Chaeyoung’s phone started buzzing and Somi’s name showed up on the screen. “Oppa is looking for you, come back!” Chaeyoung read the text out loud and looked at Dahyun wide-eyed. They ran to the dorm, laughing despite knowing they would get scolded, and both girls knew they would always remember that night._

Dahyun couldn’t help the tears that started falling, sobbing as quietly as she could on the pillow. Suddenly, the door opened and Chaeyoung came into the room; Dahyun considered pretending to be asleep, but before she could make a decision Chaeyoung had already seen her.

“Hey,” She said without looking her way, and quickly climbed up to her bunk. Chaeyoung had been crying and hoped Dahyun wouldn’t notice (if only she knew Dahyun was just the same).

“How was your date? Did you two kiss already?” Dahyun asked although she would rather hear a fork against a plate for hours than the answer to that question. Chaeyoung let out a huff and Dahyun felt her moving around on her bed.

“I wasn’t on any date, and you would know Yerim and I are just friends if you stopped being such an idiot and listened to me.” Her voice cracked a bit and she tried to cover it up by clearing her throat.

“By all means, talk, I’m all ears,” Dahyun said mockingly, hurt by the girl’s tone.

“I don’t want to deal with you right now Dahyun.” Chaeyoung got down from the bed and started gathering her stuff to leave.

 _“_ I thought you wanted to talk?”

“But not if you’re gonna behave like a child.” With that, she left the room, and Dahyun felt like punching a wall. Why was she being such an asshole? She knew Chaeyoung hadn’t done anything wrong, yet she felt bitter as if the girl had betrayed her.

But Jihyo was right, she couldn’t keep sulking like this.

…

 

“It was nice that you called Dahyun-ah, I wasn’t expecting it,” Somi said smiling over her coffee cup. Dahyun had invited her old friend to a small café to catch up, thinking it would be nice to talk with someone other than the members.

“Of course, I missed my little friend,” Dahyun said jokingly, knowing well that Somi was half a head taller and could take her down with one hand.

“I thought your little friend was Chaeyoung.” Somi regretted saying this when Dahyun’s smile was replaced by a gloomy look, but she was curious as to why her friend reacted like this. “Did anything happen between you two?”

Dahyun wondered if she should tell Somi. She wasn’t really looking to talk about Chaeyoung with her friend, but maybe having another perspective would be nice. After all, Somi had always been very honest.

But when she decided to tell her, she didn’t really know what to say. “ _I have a crush on her and everyone says she also has a crush on me but I got insecure and jealous because of one of her friends?”_

“I have a crush on her and everyone says she also has a crush on me but I got insecure and jealous because of one of her friends.” Ok, way to rip the band-aid off. Dahyun was expecting Somi to act surprised, to say something along the lines of _this is brand new information!_. She didn’t expect Somi to lean back on her chair with a smug grin and shake her head in disbelief.

“Can’t believe you two finally got it together. Well, not quite from what you told me, but we’re getting there.”

“Excuse me?” What did she mean with _finally?_

“Oh come on Dahyun, you two have been in love with each other since I can remember. It’s always been you two and I’m surprised it took you this long. So, tell me, what happened?”

“I came out to Chaeyoung like a month ago and I was expecting her not to like me anymore, but then she told me she also liked girls. I never told her that it was her who made me realize, though; I never told her how I felt.” Dahyun said in a low voice, wary of all the people around them.

“And did she tell you about her feelings?”

“No, we never talked about it,” Dahyun said rubbing the back of her neck, realizing how dumb they had both been.

“I see,” Somi said rubbing her temple, clearly trying to be patient with Dahyun, “And what about her friend? Who is she?”

“Kim Yerim…”

“Wow, ok I didn’t see that one coming. They do make a cute couple.”

“Why does everyone say that?! We make a way cuter couple!” Dahyun said exasperated, tired of everyone siding with the blonde.

“Aww look at you! You’re blushing unnie,” Somi laughed and Dahyun hit her lightly on the arm, “You like her a lot don’t you?”

“So much it hurts,” Dahyun hit her head on the table, suddenly reminded of all the things she liked about Chaeyoung.

“And why are you so jealous of Yerim? Did they do anything?” Somi stopped Dahyun from banging her head, and the older girl looked so much like a kicked puppy Somi seriously considering talking to Chaeyoung herself.

“She hit on Chaeyoung. And texted her repeatedly, and asked her out many times.”

“And was Chaeyoung interested as well?”

“Uh… I don’t know? She didn’t really text back but they went out this morning…”

“For the first time?”

“I think so?” Somi shot Dahyun an exasperated look and the older girl let her head bang on the table again, “God I’ve been such an idiot.”

“Yeah, you kinda are. Now tell me about what you two do together.” Somi said rubbing Dahyun’s shoulder.

“We cuddled a lot, I really miss that. We would lay on my bed and she always nuzzled her face on my neck; it tickled a little bit but I loved it, it only made me want to hug her tighter. She always liked hearing me play the piano, she would sing as I played and I loved hearing her voice and her laugh when she forgot the lyrics. I like watching her draw, her brow always furrows when she’s concentrated and sometimes she sticks her tongue out a little bit and I think it’s so cute. She’s flirty sometimes, she makes me blush easily. She would kick me under the table playfully and we would keep doing it until Tzuyu noticed and scolded us for being too gross. She always lets me have the last strawberry ice cream although it’s her favorite, and-”

“Dahyun-ah,” Somi stopped her by holding her hands and making her friend look into her eyes, “I’m gonna stop you right here because I feel like you could go on for hours. You clearly have it bad, does Chaeyoung know you feel this way?”

“I guess not?”

“You should tell her then, idiot! God, first you get jealous over nothing and now you won’t tell her you love her, I should punch you-”

“Who said I loved her?”

“Please, Dahyun, you should look in the mirror when you talk about her. Since we were trainees you were always looking out for her, she was always the first person you would look for in a room full of people-”

“How would you even know that?” Dahyun chuckled at her friend’s dramatism, but Somi only shushed her.

“I just know. Now you’re gonna finish your coffee, buy some flowers and go apologize to your girl!”

“She’s not my girl.”

“She will be, trust me, but only if you stop acting like such an idiot. And once you two finally sort things out, we will go out, the three of us, and I can embarrass you by telling her all the things you just told me.”

“Thanks, kid, I knew it was a good idea to call you.”

 

…

 

Momo looked up from her phone to find a sad looking Chaeyoung on the door, holding a pillow and apparently on the verge of tears.

“Can I stay here for a bit?” Chaeyoung said in a broken voice, and Momo immediately scooted over so Chaeyoung could lay with her.

“What’s wrong, Chaengie? What happened?” Momo hugged Chaeyoung tightly; the younger girl looked so tired, and she let out a loud sigh as she tried to keep the tears from falling.

“I miss her. And I’m sick of her ignoring me or acting like I’m getting married tomorrow. What is she even so mad about? I’m allowed to have friends,” Momo could tell Chaeyoung was about to rant, so she just listened to her friend hoping to help her after she was done, “And it’s not like we were dating! She never even hinted that she wanted something more, and now she gets mad when I go out with a friend? Maybe if she owned up to her feelings we wouldn’t be in this mess!”

“Well, have you told her about _your_ feelings, Chaengie?” Momo knew her friend was angry, and she had to be her voice of reason now.

“Well, no, but- ugh I don’t even know how I feel,” Chaeyoung said grabbing her hair, clearly exasperated.

“Try telling me how you feel when you’re with her, and what you like about her,” Momo offered and Chaeyoung seemed to think for a bit.

“I feel happy. When she smiles she does it with her eyes, too, and when she laughs her whole face lights up; that makes me happy. I also like when she hugs me because I feel safe, and she always looks out for me, she makes sure I don’t skip a meal and scolds me if I do. I like how she runs her fingers through my hair when we cuddle, and I love the way her lips press against my cheek when she kisses me goodnight. And- Momo unnie, are you crying?” Chaeyoung lifted her head to find her friend sobbing, but Momo smiled and assured her nothing was wrong.

“It’s just so romantic,” She sniffled and Chaeyoung chuckled, wiping her friend’s tears. “You idiots! Why don’t you just get together, you both want to so I don’t see why you don’t.”

“it’s more complicated than that, unnie.”

“How?” Momo grinned at Chaeyoung when the girl didn’t reply for a whole minute.

“Ah, I don’t know, it just is. Can I sleep here for a bit though? I woke up early today.”

“Of course, kid. You met up with Yerim, right? How did that go?”

“Pretty well, she was ok when I told her I wasn’t interested,” Chaeyoung remembered the awkward situation a few hours ago when Yerim said it didn’t matter and even wished her luck with her crush (although Chaeyoung didn’t tell her who that person was).

“Such a nice girl, isn’t she?” Chaeyoung nodded and Momo got up from her bed, telling Chaeyoung to sleep as much as she wanted. “I’ll be out with Nayeon but call if you need anything.”

Chaeyoung turned around in the bed a bit, hoping Dahyun would leave her head for at least a few hours so she could rest.

_Dahyun and Chaeyoung were at the shopping center, hiding behind a makeup stall. They had debuted a few months ago and people already recognized them in public. They were running away from a particularly intense fan that had been following since he spotted them out of the games zone._

_“Let’s just leave, the exit is only a few stores away and I’m sure we’ll lose him between all the people outside,” Dahyun suggested as she scanned the area, hoping the fan had given up on chasing them._

_“What about the others?”_

_“I’ll just text manager unnie to let her know we’re outside.”_

_“Ok, sounds like a good idea.” Chaeyoung got up and grabbed Dahyun’s hand, walking towards the exit trying not to draw too much attention to themselves. Once they were outside, they ran to hide in a nearby alley and Dahyun texted the manager._

_“She said she’ll gather the girls and meet us here.” Dahyun looked at Chaeyoung and saw she was shivering. The night had become cold all of sudden and Chaeyoung wasn’t wearing any coats (Jihyo had told her to bring one, but she said it didn’t go with her outfit). “Chaengie, you’re shaking,” Dahyun began to take her own jacket off and Chaeyoung shook her head, she didn’t want her friend to catch a cold, but her complaints were useless as Dahyun put the coat over her shoulders and Chaeyoung eventually gave in and put it on correctly._

_“Now you’ll be cold, unnie,” Chaeyoung said and hugged Dahyun trying to cover her as well._

_“Don’t worry about me, I’m perfectly fine. You should have brought a scarf at least, how many times do I have to tell you that it gets cold after six?” Dahyun scolded Chaeyoung as she rubbed the younger girl’s arms, trying to warm her up. “Here, give me your hands.” Dahyun held Chaeyoung’s hands between her own and blew hot air on them, making Chaeyoung blush a bit._

_“Maybe we should go into a store?”_

_“Manager unnie told us to wait for her, she should be here in a minute.”_

_It wasn’t a minute; the girls stood outside waiting for the others for at least fifteen minutes and Dahyun started shivering._

_“Ah, Dahyunnie, your face is all red! And you have a runny nose,” Chaeyoung said snuggling closer, trying to share the warmth. Dahyun didn’t mention she was red from having Chaeyoung so close to her, and from all the funny looks the people walking in the street were giving them._

_Eventually, the members arrived in the car and the freezing girls jumped inside. Jihyo and Jeongyeon immediately gave them heating packs, but Dahyun wouldn’t stop shivering and Chaeyoung felt very guilty._

_Dahyun caught the biggest cold of her life. That night she couldn’t sleep, she was coughing nonstop and even had a slight fever. Jihyo sent Chaeyoung and Tzuyu to the other rooms, despite Chaeyoungs complaints about how it should be her looking after Dahyun, and couldn’t sleep at all no matter how much she tried._

_The next morning she woke Dahyun up with a kiss on the forehead and a warm bowl of soup._

_“Good morning Dahyunnie, I made this for you,” She set the tray on the girl’s lap and sat next to her, stroking her hair,”How do you feel?”_

_“Better now that you’re here.” Dahyun smiled taking a sip of the soup, watching the younger girl blush and tuck her hair behind her ear._

_“I’m really sorry unnie, you’re sick because of me.”_

_“Don’t be silly Chaeyoung-ah, I couldn’t let you freeze out there. I’m glad it’s me who is sick and not you.”_

_Chaeyoung leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Dahyun’s cheek, who felt her face heating up. “Thank you.”_

_“Anytime.”_

Chaeyoung woke up and rubbed her eyes trying to make the memory go away. She was tired of feeling sad, tired of crying all the time. She decided she would confess, she would tell Dahyun about her feelings and hope for the best. Full of determination, she got up but hit her head with the top bunk. _Fucking hell._ She walked out of the room to look for some ice, and as she approached the kitchen she heard Dahyun and Mina talking.

“She’s doing great, it looks like she’ll be debuting soon and I told her we will all be supporting her,” Dahyun said animatedly and Chaeyoung was glad the girl wasn’t so moody anymore.

“Oh, that’s really nice. Maybe we could all go out one of these days, I’m sure the girls miss her too.” Chaeyoung walked in and Mina stopped talking, making the younger girl curious.

“Who do we miss?” Chaeyoung asked opening the freezer and placing the ice on her red forehead.

“Somi, but what happened to you?” Dahyun asked concerned.

“Doesn’t matter. So, you saw Somi today?” Dahyun nodded and Chaeyoung dropped a _cool_ before going back to her room. Dahyun decided she had enough and went after Chaeyoung, with Mina yelling _go get her!_ from the kitchen.

Chaeyoung was climbing up her bunk when Dahyun stopped her, asking the younger girl to sit with her for a minute. So now they sat next to each other on Dahyun’s bed, an awkward silence between them.

“I think it’s time we talk,” Dahyun said still avoiding eye contact with her friend.

“Didn’t you talk enough with Somi already?” Chaeyoung looked away and Dahyun was about to tell her how dumb she was being when she realized that’s exactly what she had been doing the past days.

“I’m serious, Chaeyoung. Are you willing to listen to me?” Chaeyoung stared at her warily and nodded prompting her to talk. “First all, I’m so sorry. I was a dick for weeks and I had absolutely no reason to treat you like that. I was being immature by not listening to what you had to say, even though you don’t owe me any explanation at all. If you want to date Yerim, I get it.”

“I accept your apology, Dahyun. But you need to understand there is nothing going on between Yeri and I. I like someone else.” Chaeyoung took a deep breath, _it’s now or never._

“W-who is it?”

“A very special girl. She makes my heart flutter every time she looks at me and I feel like I’m soaring when she hugs me. I love holding her hands and kissing her cheeks. I really like her”

“Do I know her?” Dahyun asked feeling her world crumbling down.

Then Chaeyoung kissed her, and Dahyun’s heart stopped beating. Chaeyoung cupped her face as they kissed, Dahyun reacting just in time to kiss her back. When Chaeyoung pulled away Dahyun leaned in more with her eyes closed, only thinking about kissing Chaeyoung over and over again.

“It’s you, dummy,” Chaeyoung said with a chuckle and pecked Dahyun on the lips.

The older girl was awestruck and couldn’t say a word, so instead, she grabbed Chaeyoung by the shirt and kissed her. “I like you too, so much,” Another kiss, and another, and then another. Dahyun caught Chaeyoung’s bottom lip between her own and the younger girl sighed. “God, Chaeyoung, I like you so much. I’m sorry I was an idiot. Did- Did you mean all those things you said?”

“Of course Dahyunnie,” Chaeyoung smiled caressing Dahyun’s cheek, who leaned more into the girl’s touch and closed her eyes happily.

“I feel the same way about you Chaengie. I love when you smile really wide and your dimples show up, I like how you put all your effort in everything you do, and how you have always been by my side no matter what.”

“Dahyun, I-” Chaeyoung couldn’t finish her sentence when the door busted open and Sana fell inside the room, with Mina on top of her and Momo on top of them both.

“You dimwits! I told you to get away from the door!” Jeongyeon swatted Momo’s head when she got up.

“Were you spying on us?” Dahyun asked surprised, and Chaeyoung wanted to kill their friends for interrupting their moment.

“Mina told us you were talking here! We just wanted to make sure everything was alright,” Nayeon tried to save her ass by throwing Mina under the bus.

“As captain of this ship, I deserved to know if you were fighting or not.” Mina tried to defend herself but got hit in the face with a cushion Dahyun threw her way, “Fair enough.”

“So, are you guys together now or what?”

“None of your business,” Chaeyoung said with finality pushing the girls out of the room and locking the door.

“We have a bet! It _is_ our business!” They heard Jeongyeon shout as they all hit the door. Eventually, they left and the girls sat down again on the bed.

“She does have a point, you know?” Dahyun asked sliding closer to Chaeyoung and putting an arm around her shoulders, “Tzuyu I mean.”

“Oh yeah? And what is it?” Chaeyoung asked wiggling her eyebrows making Dahyun giggle.

“Are we together?”

“Nah, I’ll pass.” Chaeyoung acted disinterested but couldn’t help smiling.

“That’s a pity, I was gonna ask if you wanted to be my girlfriend but I guess I’ll pass too.”

Chaeyoung grabbed Dahyun’s shirt and kissed her soundly, “Ask me,” She whispered close to Dahyun’s lips.

“Do you want to be my girlfriend?”

“I would love to,” Chaeyoung crashed their lips together again, and they giggled between kisses feeling happier than ever.

 

…

 

“Ok, you gotta tell us now,” Tzuyu insisted. They all sat at the kitchen table having dinner and the girls were impatient to get the details.

“We’re girlfriends,” Dahyun said blushing and holding Chaeyoung’s hand. The girls cheered and squealed loudly, hugging their friends.

“Who asked who?”

“Dahyun asked me to be her girlfriend,” Chaeyoung said smiling dreamily at Dahyun, and everyone groaned or hit the table except for Mina who jumped up and down celebrating.

“Come on! Chaeyoung you were supposed to ask her!” Nayeon complained looking grumpy as ever.

“Wait, only Mina bet on me?” Dahyun asked offended, and everyone looked at her like saying _duh._

“We thought you would chicken out, Chaeyoung was supposed to confess first,” Tzuyu explained, and Nayeon lifted her head with an evil grin.

“And she did,” She said looking around the room with mischievous eyes, and Mina complained when she realized what that meant. “Chaeyoung confessed first so we win.”

“Pay up Myoui!” Sana and Momo celebrated as Mina thought about how the hell was she supposed to pay everyone.

“That’s not fair! Girls come on!”

As their friends fought (it wouldn’t be a night at the twice dorm without an argument) Dahyun and Chaeyoung were in their own little world, sharing shy kisses and looking at each other’s eyes with all the love they had in them.

“Gross, get a room,” Tzuyu joked next to them.

“Oh, you mean the one we share with you?” Chaeyoung teased and Tzuyu’s smile fell as she whined “ _Jihyo unnie!”_

The dorm was a chaos, but it was their chaos, and Dahyun and Chaeyoung wouldn’t trade it for the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading until the end! If you liked the story please let me know in the comments. See you next time <3

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments are always welcome and if you have any questions or just want to talk, my curiouscat is lgbtdahyun :) the second chapter will be kind of an epilogue so please look forward to it and see you next time.


End file.
